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exercises for steadier hands?? (2 Viewers)

thelabirder

Active member
Hi i am just buying some new binoculars and heard that if they have a high magnification rate it becomes more shaky if you dont have steady hands, so i was wondering if there was anything i could do to help this as my hands are slightly shaky.

Thanks
 
A big exit pupil helps, so go for an 8 x 40ish rather than an 8 x 30ish or a 10x glass (unless you want to go all the way to 10 x 50 but such glasses tend to be quite heavy and the selection is limited)
 
.......a high magnification rate it becomes more shaky if you dont have steady hands, so i was wondering if there was anything i could do to help this as my hands are slightly shaky.

Yes sir, those of us with tremors are always looking for a work-around to dexterity issues.

I use a marine cup or faceshield on a 10x, the tremors become a nonissue.

fugl's suggestion of an 8x40ish glass is also an alleviating factor, especially if you have vision problems.

Good luck my friend.
 
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Yeah, any kind of brace or support will help. A tripod or monopod, a finn stick, a modified rifle stock, a face shield, even just leaning your shoulder against a tree.

As a photographer, I find that a lot of my wobbling is in my legs. Anytime I can sit or kneel, or lean on something solid, I get better shots. Directly bracing the camera is of course best of all, but not always possible. For tough shots, I'll consciously relax, take the best stance I can, and quiet my breathing so my shoulders don't move.

A very portable idea is to tie about five feet of string to your binocs, with a small weight (e.g., a bolt or nut) tied to the other end. Drop the weighted end, then step on the weight, and your binocs are now tethered to the ground. By maintaining a steady upward push with your arms, you should find that small unsteadiness in your arms doesn't result in any movement of the glass.
 
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Also, simply the way you hold your bins makes a difference. Tucking your elbows in and bracing them against your chest is much steadier than holding your elbows askew.
 
I've always suffered from unsteady hands when using binoculars so I have just invested in some Canon stabilised 12x32 binoculars. They are brilliant with rock steady views, also the extra magnification make it less essential to lug around a scope and tripod. Try some out in your local store and it will be a revelation.
 
Hi,

Yeah, any kind of brace or support will help. A tripod or monopod, a finn stick, a modified rifle stock, a face shield, even just leaning your shoulder against a tree.

I'm just experimenting with a shoulder stock from 3D printed parts, and coming across this thread, I found it works for binoculars as well:

P1260784s.jpg P1260786s.jpg

Components:

- Nikon 8 x 42 binoculars
- standard binocular-tripod adapter
- 3D printed shoulder stock fittings
- beech rod as actual stock

While my hands are pretty steady, I still find this to be an improvement over purely hand-held binoculars.

Not that I think the shoulder-stock could compete with image-stabilized binoculars, but it at least it works with existing binoculars :)

Regards,

Henning

PS: I originally created this shoulder stock for use with a small spotting scope, see http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=347433
 
Hi again,

I'm just experimenting with a shoulder stock from 3D printed parts

Just in case someone would like to try it for himself, I made the shoulder stock parts available for printing via Shapeways:

http://shpws.me/OLvy

(Though they are presented in the context of a shop, the price is actually the Shapeways manufacturing fee only, no profit for me in this!)

Regards,

Henning
 
I've always suffered from unsteady hands when using binoculars so I have just invested in some Canon stabilised 12x32 binoculars. They are brilliant with rock steady views, also the extra magnification make it less essential to lug around a scope and tripod. Try some out in your local store and it will be a revelation.

I was amazed how good those Canon 'bins are when someone let me try theirs.
 
I do the elbow tuck into my side ribs along with using my fingers rested on the brim of my hat.

If I am going to be a while, the tripod and pan head get pulled out.
 
Some hands shake more than others. The safe option is to go 7x or 8x instead of 10x. If you really want higher than 8x, I would suggest a binocular that's not too light. Surprisingly, a heavier binocular can help dampen shakes. Though don't go too heavy. I would shoot for around 28-30 ounces.

Also experiment with different grips. Alexis Powell has some nice pictures of how he employs an asymmetric grip with the Swarovski EL: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=330562. If you hold binoculars with your hands bunched up close to your face, there is more torque on objective end of the binocular which makes it harder to hold steady. If you can move a hand to support the weight at the end of the binocular, the view should be steadier. This is only relevant for longer binoculars. If your budget is high enough, check out binoculars like the Zeiss HT and SF which have the focus wheel closer to the end of the binocular. Logic tells me that these should be easier to hold steady, though I have not tried them.

Good luck.
 
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